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The War of Four: Honor and Mercy
The War of Four: Honor and Mercy Act I The First Date, Mountain Resort Getaway! "Aha! We've arrived!" Meikurai spoke aloud with a feeling of triumph. While currently bundled in his usual blue-white kimono along with his Shikhakushō, Meikurai had already arranged for fresh clothes for various occasions to be brought both for himself and Rukia. He was currently at the helm, insisting on driving the avian steed while Rukia would sit behind. He was only glad that the bird didn't take as long as he thought to bring them towards their destination, as the weather was both pleasant and crisp, a pleasant mixture of the oncoming mountains that bordered Aether's northern continent. Rukia almost didn't hear him. She had her back up against his, her head tilted upwards towards the sky. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be breathing in the crisp and fresh air blowing around them. She had grown to accept passage on the Dragonbirds whenever she had to do so, adjusting to what normally would have been rough turbulence for her. That was one of the few good things Kenta had taught her - how to maintain herself on an aerial flight without seatbelts. Thankfully, she did manage to hear him. She turned her head so that her eyes were looking down the flight path. "I'm a bit surprised you had the experience to fly these birds." She commented. "That, and the fact that Avaron was so lenient as to lend us one for such a simple reason..." "I'm the Overseer for the garrison of Sword Squad operatives in Yūrei Ōkoku," Meikurai spoke matter-of-factly, "Captain Setsuko saw fit to allow me use of one of her spare steeds. That, and I've had time to learn how to ride them during the restoration process both during the first and second Ahijados Invasions. Think I'm okay at handling her?" "I wouldn't have wondered how you flew it if I didn't believe you were good at it." Rukia answered, shifting herself around so that her body was facing the side of the Dragonbird. One of her hands reached up to idly run fingers through her hair, and she observed her fleeting surroundings in wonder. "You weren't joking around when you said the weather would be excellent here, did you?" The last sentence was humored and jovial - or at least, as jovial she would allow herself to get. "Supposed to be Aether's greatest times of year up north," Meikurai spoke with a smile, reveling the crisp feeling of the mountain scented air rushing past his scalp and face. He turned his head to look at Rukia's face, flashing a bright smile, "and I believe someone with your special affinity would be quite comfortable in this climate, wouldn't you agree?" She caught this out of the corner of her eye, and she put on a small smile of her own. "You make the climate sound colder than it already is..." She commented. "Sure you won't catch anything?" "Believe it or not, I have a love for the crisp winter air," He winked back at her, looking around at the ice particles lingering within the air as they headed towards the Hangar of the resort, "there's nothing more satisfying than seeing the beauty and majesty of this season while being able to wear something warm and comforting around your body at the same time." Their landing was momentarily delayed by what appeared to be a dock officer. Hovering just up to the edge of the docks, Meikurai handed him their reservation pass, before it was handed back to Meikurai with an acknowledging nod. With a few more expert flaps of the Dragonbird, they flew up to the near top of the hangar itself, landing directly into a warm, climate controlled hub for the duration of their steed's stay. When the bird's talons touched the ground and its wings folded, Rukia slowly got up from her sitting position. Carefully, she stepped down one of the wings to get to the ground, looking back up towards Meikurai. Putting one hand behind her back, she reached out with the other for him to take on the way down. Sighing, Meikurai chuckled as he took Rukia's hand as he hopped off the Dragonbird, "I think we got that part inverted a bit...Rukia-chan." "Your fault for not beating me to it, dear Meikurai." Rukia smiled smugly, her words only teasing. "So, how about lead me to this resort you so highly speak of...?" "Follow me, Rukia, my dear," he chuckled with good cheer, wrapping an arm around one of Rukia's before walking out of the compound and towards a paved street along the top of the hangar. Leading to it, a climate controlled tube connected the hangar to the main resort, which lead directly into the mountain itself. As they walked past, they would see various people, couples like them, as well as some flamboyantly dressed, while others were dressed casually and nonchalant in their mannerisms. All of which lead to a black suited greeter, once again asking for Meikurai's reservation pass, to which he was received before extending his greetings to the two. Letting them in, what was inside looked incredible. Carved ice sculptures enamored the lobby, and red carpet for all to walk along as many booths and stores lined up each side of the brightly lit, ice-reflected stores. Ice chandeliers sparked above their heads, and the walkways leading towards the dormitories were on the far side to their left, while the direct access to the outdoor amusements to their right. Rukia took special note of the chandeliers above their heads and the sculptures made out of ice. She couldn't help but be impressed by the ones responsible for their creation, for sculpting ice was far different than simply molding clay or painting a drawing. Although the result was always dazzling, the crafting also put a heavier emphasis of micro-management and would fall apart if everything wasn't tended to properly. "This is quite the place, I must say..." She murmured, smiling in satisfaction. "Glad you approve," Meikurai spoke with a satisfied tone, smiling as he nodded towards the direction of the dormitories to their left, "want to see our room and get dressed into something more appropiate? I'd like to take you dancing sometime tonight, if you'd like that..." "That I would." Rukia agreed, giving a nod and a wink to him. "You can dance, right?" "But of course," Meikurai chuckled, as he led her down the expansive hallway to their room, "I wouldn't have went through all the trouble to arrange this if I couldn't shake my legs to the beat, now would I?" "Just making sure. I wouldn't want to embarrass you in any way..." Although there was teasing in Rukia's voice, there was also a bit of seriousness in it. The last thing Rukia wanted was for the man to embarrass himself or for her to do it when he was trying his best to create a good atmosphere for both of them. Meikurai held his mouth down in mock shock, speaking in a dramatized voice as they walked down the glittering, expansive walkway, "Since when does the Noble raised Kuchiki find time to learn how to grace the dance floor with such elegance and poise?! Your duties didn't totally devour your proverbial schedule to allow such feats to be possible to you?!" "You'll have to blame Chidori for that..." Rukia rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "When I became more and more acquainted with working as one of His Majesty's right hands, Chidori was quite insistent on "modernizing" me in any way possible. At first, it was a little bit stressful. But she's a rather charismatic woman, and it wasn't too long before I could adjust." "She did seem like the more capable one of Lord Igen's confidants," Meikurai nodded with a smile, stroking his chin as he tilted his head upwards in thought, "Shiro on the other hand seem to be more tendant to violent and verbal conflicts than diplomactically assertive ones." "It didn't help," The Kuchiki gave him a pointed look. "That you verbally attacked the King as you did and provoked him in the first place. You didn't expect nothing to be done after that outburst, did you?" "Yeah...sorry," Meikurai spoke with a sheepishly apologizing tone, scratching his head with shame, "I am just thoroughly against the work my superior has done and preformed in the name of both Science and Benefit for the Soul Society. Its actually not illegal per se, but more looked down upon in the Gotei 13 to create artificial beings...but it wasn't warranted excuse to dishonor you at your post as well as shame myself in front of a Patriarch. I hope you can forgive me..." Rukia gave a somewhat exasperated sight. "Don't worry about it, all right? That was a minor issue long behind us. Everything's fine..." "Yes well, your friend didn't need to threaten to throw me out of the castle over it then," Meikurai huffed, blowing his bangs up before rolling his eyes with a smile on his face, "you have good friends back there though. It must be nice to trust them and confide in them so much..." "Yeah..." That was when Rukia appeared to be a bit wistful, a slight frown coming over her face as she contemplated his words. "But sometimes," She said softly. "It can make you miss the things you leave behind. There are those you part with that you can never really let go of. Everything's good here, but I can't help but wonder what would've happened if I never left... if I had a chance to stay in the Soul Society. Maybe then..." She trailed off, her eyes flashing briefly with regret. "They wouldn't have died..." Meikurai wrapped an arm around Rukia tenderly, speaking softly, "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I didn't mean to have you dredge up memories and regrets. After all, we are supposed to have a good time right?" Meikurai tried to smile with a charming grin, as they arrived in front of the elevator that would take them to their suite for the duration of their stay. "Y-yes, right..." Rukia took in a deep breath to steady herself once more. She allowed herself to chuckle a little, comforted by his embrace. "Listen to me, scolding you for not making a big deal out of things when I'm doing the same." She put on a humored grin at the irony. "We both have our moments, don't we?" Meikurai chuckled along with her, smiling as he locked eyes with her as he pressed the elevator button to send for them. What was brief moments before awaiting the chime of the doors opening allowing the couple to walk in the crystalline interior elevator with red carpeting. Leaning against the wall of the elevator with her, he spoke with an appreciative tone, "if it wasn't for the moments that we falter, we wouldn't be able to lecture others due to our own experience in them, wouldn't we?" "No, we wouldn't..." Rukia agreed. After which, she fell into a silence as she waited for the elevator to arrive. She took the time to regard Meikurai a bit curiously. "Say..." She said, her tone signaling that of a question ahead. "Just how is your experience in the Gotei 13 treating you? How long have you been in the ranks?" "Hmmmm," Meikurai hummed, looking up towards the crystalline ceiling, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he sincerely pondered the length of time he had been part of the Soul Society's main military force, "I think today would mark my one hundred and sixtieth year as a Soul Reaper. I have been a lieutenant for about, oh fifty or so years, which goes without saying as being the Deputy Direction of both the D.C.O. and the Department of Research and Development. Needless to say," he returned with an honest grin, "it keeps me very busy...but I manage." "I've noticed..." Rukia commented, smiling briefly before turning her gaze forward. At her next thought, she frowned and huffed a little. "You ever meet up with Senna? She's part of the D.C.O., and she's grown to be a close friend of mine... but I know that after this, I'm never going to hear the end of it. She's sweet, but her hyperactivity can be a bit... overwhelming at times..." "Ah yes, the Deputy Captain of the Sword Squad," Meikurai said with a knowing chuckle in his tone, looking over to Rukia's frowning expression with empathy, rubbing her arm to comfort her, "she's honestly not that bad when you get to know her quirks. She's quite talented in her duties and very sociable with her squadmates, as well as caring for her superior. She reminds me a little of what you are at times, in my opinion..." "Wha--" Rukia immediately snapped her head towards him with a comically blank look. "Don't joke like that. I am not hyperactive and bubbly. Ever." "Two words, Rukia-chan," Meikurai spoke with a knowing, comically mischievious tone, smiling ear-to-ear as he spoke, "stuffed animals." Those two words were enough to destroy any defense Rukia might've had. "I--" She attempted to start one, opening her mouth and raising her finger as if to say something. However, she found herself keeping that pose, staring at Meikurai dumbly. She had neglected to realize that sooner or later, someone was bound to tease her about her affection for the said "stuffed animals". Ichigo hadn't done it, and she had carelessly assumed Meikurai wouldn't, either. She should have known better... Finally, she decided on hanging her head down in defeat. "Okay, maybe I can be that hyperactive sometimes. But," Promptly, she fell down and bowed to Meikurai, comically hitting her head on the elevator floor. "Please don't tell her about it! I don't think I can take the embarrassment I'd have to go through if she knew!!" "Relax, Rukia, I won't tell a soul," Meikurai couldn't help but chuckle in an empathetic tone, kneeling down to place a hand on her shoulder and squeeze it reassuringly, "no need to beg. I know how overbearing her nature can be. Believe me, its taken awhile to adjust to her superhuman energy levels..." "That's an understatement..." Rukia let out a relieved sigh, nodding fervently and standing back up on her feet. "Thank you very much, Meikurai. You don't know how many lives you've saved as of this moment..." "Eh?!" Meikurai sweatdropped, not really understanding what Rukia meant of the keeping of Rukia's insane love for stuffed animals from Senna. But then again, she did tend to blab to a lot of people about things she found out or discovered, like a child finding out what was under the christmas tree before it was wrapped, "I'll...guess that I did the right thing then?" "Very much so!" Rukia nodded fervently once more to assure her faith within that statement. Meikurai couldn't help but contain his amusement, chuckling at the look on Rukia's face being so serious, "Okay, okay, I'll make sure not to accidentally slip it in my sleep where she or anyone can hear it...haha...~" DING! Just then, the elevator doors opened, stopping directly upon their floor where their suite would be. With a man dressed in a tuxedo awaiting their arrival, he merely waved an arm to his left, saying, "Your suite # is 19, to your right. If you require anything, there is an intercom near the door and I will do what I can to make your stay as comfortable as possible." "Thanks, gent," Meikurai nodded with an approving grin, before turning to Rukia and looping his arm through hers, asking her, "you ready to see what room I reserved us?" Rukia's expression had been quick to fade back to a calmer and tranquil one. She smiled, folding her free hand behind her back. "I'm hoping for a pretty good surprise..." She said. With what Meikurai had shown her so far, she was certain that what she would see would just have to top it. "Oh trust me," Meikurai spoke in a beckoning tone, barely containing his own excitement as he walked her down the expansive hallway with their numbered door being on the farthest door facing them, "you will love it..." After walking for only a minute, Meikurai then opened the door, pushing it open to reveal the wonder within. Upon walking onto the beginning entryway, they would notice that the floor had been layered with a smooth, non-slick ice below their feet to appear like stylized marble that stretched out into a lobby with two half moon shaped white leather couches, with a ice sculped into the image of remarkably appearing ice lily that was much larger than life, spewing warm water and creating a warm comforting mist that heated the room to a comfortable temperature. Beyond the lobby laid a walkway to a glassed off balcony with a view of the mountains, as well as the Ski event resort and the ice-glass dome that was half exposed out of the mountain where the dance floor was located. The expansive view of the northern lands of Aether were breathtaking as well as with a slightly refridgerated cool air surrounding it, as if one was outside without the harsh sub-artic winds and storms passing the mountain resort on occasion. Up above the lobby on either side were obsidian tubular handrails on halfwalls made of glass with smooth black, almost organic material that flowed and twisted in the solid steps up to the exposed bedroom. The same black material lied sleek and smooth all underneath the ice-carved furniture, including the spacious bathroom to the left and the spa hot-tub to the right, with a dark burgundy red heart shaped King sized bed shaped as a heart with white veiled curtains fastened up above, ready to be let down to provide anyone sleeping or relaxing the privacy they would desire. Needless to say, Rukia was certainly surprised. "T-this is..." She trailed off, unable to find the right words to say as she took it all in. She placed her free hand to her mouth, taking it all in with an expression of wonder and amazement. "Is it too much?" Meikurai found himself holding his breath, wondering if he pushed a little too far with getting such a glamorous suite for the two of them. He'd have to let her find herself again once she was done looking at the place to let him know. "This is incredible..." Sliding her arm out of Meikurai's grip, Rukia walked deeper into the room. She approached the sculpture, her eyes searching the entire room until she walked close enough to the lily to be directly in front of it. She bent over a little, placing her hands on her knees as she inspected it. "I'd never thought this in particular would be used for keeping room temperature as well as mist of the saunas..." She commented. "This is absolutely perfect, Meikurai..." Sighing with relief, Meikurai couldn't help but feel his heart beat in his chest, causing him to feel warm inside at seeing the awe-struck look on Rukia's face. Walking forward, he lowered a hand to her to come back up, "Do you want to see our living spaces and the dresses I picked out for you?" As she turned her head towards him, Rukia smiled in approval and clasped his hand with her own. "Of course I would..." "C'mon then," Meikurai said in the once again, barely contained, beckoning tone. After taking care to raise her to her feet gently, he lead her to the stairs to the entryway's right side, and began the casual ascent up the extensively curved staircase of ebony coloration. As they reached the top, the scene of the ice walled bathroom and the hot tub of either end would be seen, along with the black mineralized floor with an expansive closet space holding two spinng racks opposing each other, with one of noticeably masculine suits and wear with the other with a number of vaguley appropiate feminine dresses and attire. That, and the obvious king-sized dark red sheet and quilted heart shaped bed, with the snow-white drapes tucked into the frame above it.... Once again releasing Meikurai's hand, Rukia allowed herself to walk towards the closet spaces. "What time will it be when we leave for tonight?" She questioned, pulling the closet doors open in order to inspect the dresses. "The main Ice ball will be within two and a half hours from now, so its plenty of time to get settled and pick out the right dress," Meikurai spoke with a knowing tone, having memorized the calender of plans and events before they even took off on the Dragonbird. Crossing his arms, he could only smile as he watched Rukia sift through the dress choices, wondering which one she'd pick out... "Hmm..." Rukia let out a thoughtful purr as she looked upon each of them. "I've... never really done this before..." She said, frowning. "Usually, it's just my Shikakushōuniform I'd worry about the most. Never thought I'd be picking dresses..." She looked over at Meikurai. "Say, considering you know so much more than me concerning this resort, how's about you help me pick, huh?" "If you insist," Meikurai chuckled, walking over to the spinning rack of dressed, he sifted through several with his hand while leaning over her. He couldn't help but get lost in her scent while his hand moved thoughtfully from one dress to the other. He then saw one that he knew was his personal favorite of the bunch, reaching out with both arms and pushing the other dresses to the side to allow Rukia to see it, "go on and try it on..." The dress itseld had a gorgeous flair to it, matching the theme that had been prevalent throughout the entrance of the resort. It had a white veil tucked into the collar of the jewel speckled blouse, with a beautiful hakama skirt that sparkled like snow and the trappings itself felt like silk. With optional sparkled sleeves and leggings to boot, this was the option Meikurai wanted Rukia to try on. "All right..." After looking over the dress for a moment, Rukia willingly relented. She reached out to grab the dress. "Give me a moment..." Gently, she pulled herself away from Meikurai and headed in the direction of the bathroom. "Go ahead," Meikurai nodded to the bathroom, stepping away from her and taking a seat on the heart-shaped bed, "take as much time as you need..." Giving a grateful nod, Rukia moved out of the room and into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. As soon as she did, she turned around and leaned against it with a sigh. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, going into thought. It wasn't anything to do with the nature of the date. So far, she was enjoying herself and the company of Meikurai. With such a promising date ahead of both of them, how could she not have been? There was nothing wrong with that. Her concern lay on the topic of a different story. Lobo de Norte. When he had said that he would return for her when the time was right, she did not take his declaration lightly. She could tell the resolve of a warrior when she saw, and she knew that sooner or later, he would come back. When he would do so was yet to be confirmed. For all she knew, he could have been listening in right now. That alone was enough to unnerve her a little. "I'd really hate to keep my guard up and make it seem like I'm not having a good time..." She thought to herself. "But I'll have to keep an eye out. Who knows when he'll strike..." With that mental reminder in her head, she began to slide her clothing off. "Besides, I wouldn't want to keep him waiting. After all, he ''did pick this dress for me..."'' A small smile crossed her face. As Meikurai tapped his feet and fingers respectively as he waited for Rukia to finish changing, he heard a particular phone ringing within the depths of his kimono. His eyes furrowing into a frown, he reached into the depths of his cloak, checking the signal and origin of the caller. Who and what was calling him, caused his blood to grow slightly cold, sending a shiver up and down his spine. Looking over to Rukia's changing room, he knew he had a few minutes to take the call, he walked over to the far side of the bedroom, also making sure the phone was connected to his audio implant in his left ear so only he could hear the voice on the phone. "I thought I made a notice for you not to call me, especially when I'm out," he spoke lowly in a slightly terse tone, as he held the phone up to is face to keep up the appearance of it being a phone conversation. "Hehehe, am I disturbing you? That's really not nice to say to a fellow colleague you know..." "I'm assuming playful banter wasn't the only reason you called, is it?" "No...I just called because I thought to keep you informed of interesting...developments in Hueco Mundo..." "Why me? Aren't you supposed to do that with them? That is our jobs after all..." "Oh no, I'll tell them in due time, but I thought to let you in on it considering the interest of one particular Arrancar in your current...how shall I name her...your lover?" "Stop beating around the bush," he sternly spoke on the phone, making sure to keep his voice down as he his glare focused onto the glass door leading to the hot tub, "what is this about?" "Sōsuke Aizen made an assault on Hueco Mundo's current, or should I say, formerly predominant power,' 'Empresa ''and its Espada Afilado. While it didn't go according to plan, most of Empresa is in sorry shape and the Espada Afilado are scattered and in disarray, as well as a missing Primera to boot. That means one particular Arrancar is free to do as he pleases..."' "Shit!" He snarled lowly to himself, realizing what this meant and what could be happening at any moment. He briefly extended his awareness as he listened to the call, trying to sift and search for the entity in question or any abnormality he would pick up as a potential lock. After releasing a held breath of relief, he returned to the call at hand, "if you have anymore intel, in the future, I'd appreciate you leaving a message instead of interrupting me-" "''So sorry. I just wanted to give you a head's up regardless, as for one comrade to another. I know you'll do the same for me when I need it. As for now, ta-ta! I hope you have a marvelous date!" And like that, Meikurai hung up on the caller, briefly snarling, "Bastard," before pocketing, and silencing, his phone before he went back to sit at his earlier chosen seat. "And I'm back!" That was the moment when Rukia re-entered. Due to the rather chipper mood, it was clear that she approved of the dress as well. She allowed herself to twirl around in order for him to see all of the dress. "So," She said. "Does this still seem like a good choice?" Any ill thoughts from the phone conversation vanished completely when Rukia entered the room. Meikurai honestly felt star-struck, his mouth agape and his eyes wide at the beautiful sight she presented herself as. He felt his heart skip a couple, if not a dozen, beats just seeing how amazing she looked in his eyes. "Absolutely beautiful," Meikurai managed to utter out. He followed up with a clearing of the throat before his face reddened slightly at how stupid he looked with his mouth hanging open, "of course! It fits you perfectly. You look like an angel, Rukia-chan..." Rukia was both pleased and amused with the response. A faint blush and a smile fell across her face. "It's perfect, then." She said proudly. "I'll have it readied to wear for tonight." She turned around in a half twirl, once again walking away from him. "Will we be going anywhere in the meantime?" "Well let's see," Meikurai looked up at the transparent, smooth ceiling as he clucked his tongue in thought, "there's a Casino in the lowermost section of the Resort, but I didn't exactly rent us a gambling card so that's out of the question. There's a small art collection in a make-shift museum of Aether's most wonderous discoveries up here in the North in the section above the casino. I believe there's also a food court on the same level as the main lobby that we could go to before getting dressed up, if you'd like to eat there?" "Think we could go to the museum first?" "Sure," Meikurai said with a smile, standing up to face her he grasped his pipe from within his cloak and put it within his mouth casually as he grabbed a lighter for it, "after all, this actually IS my first time here. I'd like to see the new additions and relics they've collected here..." "Excellent!" Stopping at the doorway for a moment, Rukia looked over her shoulder. "I'll just get this laid out and we'll be on our way. Looking forward to how this turns out..." At the eve of this sentence, her grin became somewhat sly and devious, as if she had just thought of something coy. Her next word would confirm that suspicion. "Mei-chan." With that being said, she slipped out the doorway and once again disappeared out of his sight. Meikurai felt a shudder of anticipation and revelling run up and down his spine. He couldn't help but be drawn at the sensual, lithe curves Rukia retained within the dress, and the beautiful, longing gait she projected around herself. Lighting his pipe, he huffed and blew out a small cloud of vapor from his pipe, knowing he was in for a treat later... ______________________________________________________________________________________________ "You almost ready?" Meikurai asked Rukia, even though he knew she just got in the dressing room, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious. Dressed in an Aethian black-white tuxedo, he couldn't help but feel a little exposed without his arsenal of toys and his Zanpakutō within his Shikhakushō uniform he had laid in a special briefcase. That, and he was actually getting to have the honor of dancing with what he believed one of the most angelic figures that had graced the Soul Society... "Just about..." If there was any irritation at Meikurai's impatience, Rukia's voice wasn't showing it. To be truthful, she would have considered herself finished the moment she slipped on the dress. But considering this was supposed to be a special occasion, she had taken time to actually check herself for any imperfections on her. She had to make sure everything was just right. "You're not freaking out over there, are you? It's only been so long since I came in here." "Yes well...I'm just a little nervous I guess," Meikurai spoke in a hesitantly admitting tone, breathing out a sigh, "I haven't ever gotten the chance to do something of this magnitute for someone special. And...I'm hoping I won't mess it up..." "Come on..." Rukia encouraged. "You've been doing good so far, haven't you? I'm pretty sure that by now, there's no way you can mess anything up." Meikurai could only chuckle sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he continued talking to Rukia through the dressing room door, "Don't jinx me, Rukia-chan. I'd rather not spoil the moment of the time we're spending together due to a little bad luck..." "It's just the way that I see things..." Although Meikurai wouldn't see it, Rukia lightly shrugged her shoulders. "You shouldn't look down on yourself so much. If you just spend your mind thinking about the negatives, then they're more likely to happen." "You're right, you're right," Meikurai made an unseen shrug of his own, before sitting himself on the edge of the bed before clasping his hands together while looking over the immaculate obsidian mineralized balcony towards the glassed off foyer. With a smirk, he commented, "I guess I need to relax a bit more than I have been, huh?" "You don't say?" The sarcasm was clear within that mock incredulous voice. "Alright! I DO need to relax!" Meikurai spoke back with a comically dry, wide-open mouthed expression towards the dressing room, twitching slightly in annoyance, "I'm a little controlling at times so I get nervous when I'm treading in waters I'm not familiar with..." That was when the door to the dressing room opened up, once again revealing Rukia in all of her glory. She closed the door behind her, folding her hands behind her back and giving a casually encouraging smile. "Could've fooled me. You seemed to know what you were doing so far..." She said lightly. "I was starting to think you had this planned out from start to finish. You're not trying to psyche me out, are you?" "While a great deal of this has been planned out, the borrowing of the Dragonbird was a last minute thing and the dresses I ordered weeks before this idea," Meikurai said honestly, scratching the back of his head sheepishly while smiling, still ogling her dress and her accented figure, "but not every plan survives execution, so I am a bit nervous I might mess up or if your particular...ahem...gentleman caller ''with an honorbound vendetta against your life will plan to ruin things..." Rukia closed her eyes in thought, contemplating both of the suggested possibilities. "Well, you won't have to worry about the likes of the ''Novena." She re-assured him. "In the event that he does show up, I'll be ready to finish what I started back in Yūrei. In the meantime, however, I'm more focused on enjoying myself. Now..." She lent Meikurai one of her hands. "If you don't have anything else to do... I say it's time we got there before everything starts, hm?"